![]() ![]() Because it defaults to a disengaged state, decoupling the engine from the transmission – the opposite of a normal, manual clutch – leaving the bike in gear won’t stop it from rolling if you park on a slope. KTM’s developments have emerged thanks to a patent application filed to solve a specific problem that comes with a centrifugal clutch. Not quite as silky as the seamless shifting that a dual-clutch transmission allows, but a solution with cost and weight benefits. Once you are on the move, an up-and-down quickshifter and blipper system means gearshifts can be performed without disengaging the clutch. Rather like the SCS (Smart Clutch System) offered by MV Agusta, it uses a centrifugal clutch to connect the engine and transmission, engaging when revs rise much above idle to let you start and stop without using the clutch lever. While the Honda Dual Clutch Transmission is complex and heavy, requiring electronic and hydraulic systems to operate and with no option to use the clutch and shifter in a completely conventional way, the KTM design is far more straightforward. ![]() The LC8 already powers KTM’s most touring-oriented bikes, the KTM 1290 Super Adventure S/R and KTM 1290 Super Duke GT, and the company have new versions of both under development for 2024 or 2025. Honda have now sold over 200,000 motorcycles across Europe equipped with their DCT system and now KTM are preparing to get in on the action with an automated version of their 1301cc LC8 V-twin. After decades of false starts, motorbikes with semi-automatic gearboxes are becoming ever more widely accepted into the mainstream. ![]()
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